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The question

What is the Islamic legal guidance for someone who does not know their jurisprudential school of thought and is content with merely being a Muslim, and asks scholars when needed?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

It is sufficient to be a Muslim who follows the Sharia, and adherence to a specific madhhab (school of thought) is not obligatory. The sayings of the imams were well-known and documented, and became recognized madhahib. They are in agreement regarding belief (aqidah) and monotheism (tawhid) and are close to each other in subsidiary matters (furu'). Some of them may exercise ijtihad (independent reasoning) in issuing fatwas (religious edicts) without obligating others. However, some of their followers became fanatical and restricted themselves to their sayings, even if they contradicted evidence. Therefore, the general public is advised to belong to Islam and to refer to respected scholars and reliable works by knowledgeable people in case of difficulty.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

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Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
4104
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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